Misunderstanding
by i luv ewansmile
Summary: Michael Westen comes home after a mission that could only be summed up as, "It could have gone better," only his welcome home isn't quite what he expected. Sick!Michael. COMPLETE.
1. Part 1: Sit Down Before You Fall Down

**Title: **Misunderstanding

**Author**: i luv ewansmile

**Summary: **Michael Westen comes home after a mission that could only be summed up as, "It could have gone better," only his welcome home isn't quite what he expected. Sick!Michael.

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><p><strong>Part 1: Sit Down Before You Fall Down<strong>

A soft but persistent knock on the door awakens Madeline from her afternoon nap. She sits up stiffly in her chair and stares at the door before making herself get up.

"Who is it?" She calls out, her hand already on the deadbolt unlocking it.

"Mrs. Westen, its Max and Michael," Michael's CIA contact turned partner stands on her doorstep, his clothes looking wrinkled and two days worth of stubble on his face.

"Oh, Hi Max," Madeline greets cheerfully as she swings the door wide open. Her cheerful smile melts into confusion as she sees the state her son is in.

"Michael?" She questions the man hiding behind his sunglasses; his normally neat hair is cropped shorter than the last time she saw him with spikes sticking up making him appear younger. His white dress shirt is halfway untucked from his grey dress pants.

"Hey Ma," he says weakly with a small smile, using all his strength just to stay upright. Max takes a step forward and brings Michael with him carrying most of the younger operative's weight with his arms wrapped around Michael's waist and chest with Michael's arm slung across Max's shoulders. Michael's shuffles in unsteady on his feet.

"What's going on here?" Madeline demands. She hadn't seen her son in several weeks and had received only one phone call from him during his current job for the government and suddenly here he was. She had missed him being such a constant in her life. But something wasn't right.

Max lets out an uneasy laugh, not able to fully disclose the events that had occurred on their last mission. Even with all the time he's had sitting and waiting, he still has no explanation to deliver. He takes his time formulating a response, "Well…" He pauses and tightens his hold on Michael as he threatens to slide to the floor.

"Oh, no that's alright Max, I don't need you to explain," Madeline's voice lacks the pleasantness she had greeted him with, "you've done quite enough brining him home. Thank you. I can take care of him from here." She pulls Max away from Michael and leads him towards the door.

"Mrs. Westen," he tries to stop her but she continues pushing him out the door. "Let me explain," Max pleads but Madeline closes the door in his face.

Michael having lost Max's support sways slightly as the sound of the door slamming causes him to startle. He reaches out and grips the back of the chair Madeline had been sleeping in and steadies himself while his other hand comes to rub at his temple as he closes his eyes.

He doesn't have time to ponder what's come over his mother as she demands of him to, "Sit down before you fall down."

He opens his eyes slowly, and he has to blink a few times before they would lazily focus on her face. He can read the slightest hint of concern in her face but her features were overwhelmed with disdain?

She watches him with narrowed eyes as he slowly creeps his way to the couch and eases his body down. The softest sigh of pain escapes his lips but she says not a word. He grimaces as he pulls off his sunglasses, the evening sunlight coming through the window nearly blinding him. He squeezes his eyes shut and very slowly eases himself into a laying position on his mother's couch.

He lolls his head to the side as his mother sits down heavily in her chair. He can hear the flick of her lighter as she lights a cigarette. He frowns. The smoke burns his nostrils and his lungs.

"Ma, can you please not do that?" He requests softly as he brings the back of his hand up to his noise to block the scent.

She ignores him, "What's gotten into you Michael? I don't see you in two weeks and you come home like this?"

"Sorry Ma," his says, his voice barely above a whisper as the tone of her voice makes him cringe causing the muscles in his already tense body to automatically tighten.

"You're going to wind up just like your father if you're not careful!" She warns under her breath.

The intensity of his headache increases so he slides his hand into his pocket and pulls out a little orange pill bottle with a white cap looking for relief.

Madeline is up in an instant and swiping the container from his fingers. Reading the label she gets even more upset and begins to really yell.

_Please stop yelling_ is the last thought he thinks as he slowly passes out into a restless sleep.

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><p><strong>To be continued...<strong>

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><p><strong>Author's Note: Well, that's part one, let me know what you think. =)<strong>


	2. Part 2: I Missed You Too

**Part 2: I Missed You Too**

Madeline calls Sam to come over and help her do something while Michael is still passed out. She ends up hanging up on him as he asks how Michael is doing but he comes over anyway. He steps through the doorway and he looks very solemn as he watches Michael sleep. Madeline wonders why he's taking pity on her son and huffs, "It's his fault anyway that he's hung over."

"Hung over? What are you talking about Maddy?" Sam asks confused, realizing that she doesn't get it. "I just got off the phone with Max right before you called me. He told me how sick Mike's been. That he nearly died. He said that they just did find the antidote in time to reverse the effects of the poison someone slipped him. And that he just brought him home from the hospital. Max even said Michael begged him to let him sign out AMA and to take him home that he wanted to see his mom." Sam had been planning to tell her that bit of the story with a good laugh but right now he found no humor in it at all as he sees how sickly his friend looks.

The color seems to drain out of Madeline's face. Her lips part in shock before she slowly gazes down at her sleeping son.

"Oh, Michael," she cries, bending down and capturing his face between her hands. She slicks his hair back as she runs her hand over his face and through his hair. She really takes in his appearance for the first time, the paleness of his face, especially around his mouth and the lines creasing his face from the pain. He seems to be ill at ease even in his sleep.

"Michael, wake up," she pats his cheek. His jaw clinches but he opens his eyes obediently and finds his mother smiling down at him.

"Ma," he croaks out, "I- I didn't- I'm not- I'm not drunk," he manages to mumble out.

"Shh… Shh… I know. I know." She tells him soothingly. He smiles and blinks sleepy eyed at her before his eyes shut once again in sleep.

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><p>Fiona shows up later, throwing a quick glance but not bothering to say hi to either Madeline or Sam as she immediately goes over to Michael. She drops the paper bag of groceries she brought with her and drops to her knees in front of him. She carefully inspects his face with her fingertips before pressing her lips against his, waking the sleeping man.<p>

He takes in a deep breath and lolls his head to the side with a smile, "I missed you too," he breathes opening his eyes to see the beautiful face of his girlfriend.

They lock eyes in silent understanding for a couple of seconds before Fiona averts her eyes and makes quick work of pulling his shoes and socks off for him making him more comfortable. She unbuckles his belt and tugs a little too hard to free it from around him and he stiffens as the movement jostles his sore abdomen.

Her nimble fingers unbutton his dress shirt and she helps him slip it off along with his suit jacket.

"Do you want a blanket?" She asks softly, being uncharacteristically nice.

"No," he lets out a soft laugh and takes hold of her arm and slowly pulls her to him as he eases himself up onto his side, he pulls her to him until she's snuggled against him. He drops his arm over her and sighs contently.

They lay comfortably together for a moment before he asks, "What's in the bag?"

She smiles her hand resting on his chest and replies, "Yogurt."

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><p><strong>To be continued...<strong>


	3. Part 3:Thank You For Brining My Son Home

**Part 3: Thank You For Bringing My Son Home**

"Oh, how could I be so foolish?" Madeline berates herself to Sam as they stand in the kitchen. Fiona remains curled up on the couch with Michael. Sam stands holding a glass of water idly in his hand, having turned down the beer Madeline offered.

"I don't know why seeing him like that made me think- It was just like-" She pauses, emotion overtaking her voice, "I just didn't want to watch my son turning into his father," she blurts out with fearful eyes to Sam.

"He's not Maddie. He's a good kid," Sam reassures her, sitting his glass down on the counter and placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Thanks Sam," she whispers.

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><p>Shortly after Sam leaves for the night Max calls Madeline later on that night checking in on Michael to see how he's doing and Madeline realizes how sick her son has been and still is.<p>

Madeline voices her apologizes for pushing him out of her house earlier. Max graciously assures her that it's alright that he can understand her reaction and her misunderstanding, that they both did look terrible, especially Michael.

She agreed with him and asked to know more about what happened. She had already heard what Sam had to say but she wanted to hear firsthand from someone who was there.

So Max tells her about how he had found Michael crouched on the floor in their hotel bathroom, vomiting repeatedly into the toilet, his whole body shaking from the exertion and how he stayed with him as he was violently ill, too sick to even keep the smallest amount of food or sips of water down.

Madeline can hear the sadness and guilt in his voice as he tells her how he had to leave him by himself to track down the person who had laced her son's drink.

And the agonizing hours it took for the antidote to kick in. "The flight back to the states," he said, "was the hardest. The medics had to sedate him and put a tube down his nose to his stomach. He's a really bad patient," Max tells her. And Madeline laughs softly and reminds him that she knows.

Max goes on to tell her, "We spent the night and most of the day in the hospital until Michael pulled out his IV and demanded to be taken home. As you can tell it's left him weak and sore. They sent him home with pain killers, muscle relaxants and strict orders to take it easy. All in all, it could have gone better," Max says with weary humor, "And that's how we wound up at your doorstep Mrs. Westen," Max finishes. Madeline dabs at her eyes, before telling Max sincerely this time, "Thank you for bringing my son home. Get some rest Max."

She hangs up the phone and realizes that Michael is awake and watching her, with Fiona sleeping peacefully on his chest her smaller fingers clutching the front of his undershirt not daring to let him go.

Madeline walks over and sits down in her chair beside him.

"Hey," she whispers softly with a smile.

"It's good to be home," he whispers back with a smile of his own.

"Welcome home sweetie. Welcome home."

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><p><strong>The End.<strong>

****Author's Note: Short and sweet. Thank you for reading! I hope you liked it. Please leave a review on your way out.****


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